Polish President Signs 1 of 3 Contested Laws on Judiciary

WARSAW, Poland — The office of Poland’s president says he has signed into law one of three contested bills that organizes the judiciary in a way that critics say limits judiciary independence.

President Andrzej Duda announced Monday after days of protests that he would veto two of the bills.

AndrzejDuda

His office said Tuesday he signed the third one, despite demonstrations late Monday in several cities urging him to block that one, too.

The law allows the justice minister, who is also the prosecutor general, to name the heads of all courts.

Critics say it is unconstitutional, but welcomed his rejection of the other bills. One of them would have allowed the justice minister to immediately fire all Supreme Court justices and choose their replacements.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets across Poland urging Duda to exercise his veto [Reuters]